May 13th 2024.
WNBA superstar Brittney Griner's autobiography, titled "Coming Home" and co-written by bestselling author Michelle Buford, has taken the literary world by storm. Reaching the number one spot on Amazon's best-seller list, the book has received high praise for its raw honesty and intimate storytelling.
In the memoir, Griner bravely confronts the intersection of the Black Lives Matter movement and the experiences of Black queer individuals. She shares her belief that her detainment and imprisonment in Russia were used as a bargaining chip by President Vladimir Putin. Reflecting on the value placed on Black lives, Griner writes, "We hear 'Black lives matter' in the streets, but what is a Black life really worth? Judging by our history, it seems not much, and even less if you're gay. For Putin, my worth was as a pawn."
The news of her arrest and incarceration brought immense shame and disappointment to Griner, who feared she had tarnished her family's reputation. "I cried because I'd let down my father," she reveals. "The Griner name was now stained around the globe: dopehead, drug dealer, dumb. I hurt because I knew I'd handed the world a weapon. When you're Black, your behavior is never just about you. It's about your entire community."
Griner also shares the harrowing details of her time in a Russian prison, including the deplorable conditions of the shower. "It was nasty, exposed pipes on every wall," she recalls. "Long hair strands all over the tile floor and gathered in the drains. A bloody tampon was tucked between two pipes. As much as I was disgusted by the scene, I was just as repulsed by my stench." Despite the disgust and discomfort, Griner found solace in the shower, washing away the trauma and pain she had endured.
After being transferred to a more notorious penal colony, Griner's depression deepened, leading her to cut off her hair as a form of self-preservation. "I had been frozen, sick, got my hair chopped off," she writes. "The girl I was lay on a heap of dreads on a concrete floor...At a labor camp in Russia in the dead of winter, I learned how tough I was."
Throughout her imprisonment, Griner found strength and hope in the letters from her loved ones, who kept her going during the long wait for her release. And in December 2022, she was finally freed in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death."
Back in the United States, Griner has resumed her career in the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury, the team that drafted her first overall in 2013. She has also sought therapy to help her cope with the trauma of her experience and has become a vocal advocate for the release of Paul Whelan, a former Marine detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage. Griner writes, "I will not rest until Paul Whelan is released," highlighting her determination to fight for justice and the protection of human rights.
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